Last Updated on January 7, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
I love it when golfers try to identify the type of grass growing at their local course. People will say things like, “They just added TiffEagle greens to my course; it’s wonderful.” What’s wonderful about it? How does it impact you as a golfer? If you have no idea how these golf course grass types impact your game, you aren’t alone.
In fact, you are honest.
I’ll give you some insight into what you should know about golf course grass types and a few strategies to play from each. As a golf professional who also owned a landscaping business for a few years, I have some experience with identifying, maintaining, and even growing golf course grasses.
What Are The Different Golf Course Grass Types?
There are 10 common golf course grass types ranging from Bentgrass to Bahia Grass. The climate largely determines the grass type you play at your local course.
Cool and Warm season grasses can only survive in certain areas of the world. Here’s a brief look at the different grass types and where you will find them used on the golf course.
| Grass Type | Season | Typical Usage |
| Bentgrass | Cool | Greens, Tee Boxes |
| Bermuda Grass | Warm | Greens, Fairways, Tee Boxes |
| Kentucky Bluegrass | Cool | Fairways, Tee Boxes |
| Perennial Ryegrass | Cool | Fairways, Tee Boxes, Rough |
| Zoysia Grass | Warm | Fairways, Tee Boxes, Rough |
| Paspalum | Warm | Greens, Fairways, Tee Boxes |
| Fescue | Cool | Rough, Fairways (in cooler climates) |
| St. Augustine Grass | Warm | Rough, Fairways (in warmer climates) |
| Bahia Grass | Warm | Rough (in warmer climates) |
| TiffEagle | Warm | Greens |
Breaking Down 10 Different Golf Course Grass Types: What Golfers Need To Know
Luckily, you won’t need a degree in turf grass management to get some insights on how grass type will impact your next round of golf.
Bentgrass
Bentgrass is known for its fine texture and how close you can mow it. When you can mow grass close, it’s perfect for putting greens. Bent grass greens are common; they require extensive maintenance, which is to be expected.
Playing on Bentgrass greens means you can expect a smooth and consistent roll. In addition, Bentgrass becomes predictable over time, making it easier to determine ball roll and spin on the greens. When getting ready for an event, golf course maintenance professionals can cut Bentgrass fairways short to get the ball rolling fast.
Bermuda Grass
If you have played golf in Florida, chances are you have come across some Bermuda grass. Bermuda can tolerate the heat, and it grows very quickly. It even holds up ok in high humidity.
When golf greens are particularly grainy, chances are they are Bermuda grass. The ball may roll a little faster down the grain, something to watch. Without question, cutting Bermuda short will impact your putting speed, but leaving it long will grab your golf ball and the club, making it hard to get out of the rough. Bermuda rough will shut your clubface down; be careful.
Kentucky Bluegrass
The thing that helps Kentucky Bluegrass stand out is the lush look it provides. This grass handles cool summers quite well, and it creates the look of a beautifully maintained course.
One thing that golfers love about the Kentucky Bluegrass is the lie that it provides. If you like a ball that sits up a little on the turf, this is it. Sometimes, you won’t get the same roll out of a Bluegrass fairway simply because the turf is so dense. You can guess what it’s like in the rough!
Perennial Ryegrass
At our club in Savannah, GA, maintenance overseeds the fairways with Perennial Ryegrass every year. This can happen often in warm climates when the weather turns to cool for a few months. To keep the golf courses green, the bright and fast-growing Ryegrass jumps in.
It should be known that Ryegrass is mainly found on tees and fairways; it’s excellent in the fairways when kept short, as it can almost hold the ball up a little for you. The problem with Ryegrass is that it doesn’t do well in extreme heat or drought conditions, so it will only last for a while.
Zoysia Grass
Zoysia is another warm season grass that is becoming popular in the United States. The great thing about Zoysia is the carpet-like surface it provides. The rough doesn’t get quite as thick with Zoysia, but it does tend to grab the club a bit.
The good news is you can still get a golf shot in the rough to sit up a bit. May Florida golf courses and homeowners are using the Zoysia grass because it stays healthy even in warm or wet areas with heavy traffic.
Paspalum
Golf courses in coastal regions almost always have some Paspalum. Paspalum is highly salt tolerant. The grass is used on everything from greens to tee boxes.
The Paspalum can be a little slow on the putting green and the rough is thick. Golf course superintendents will tell you that weather conditions and salt in the air make seaside courses challenging to maintain; Paspalum makes it easier.
Fescue
In various climates, Fescue grass is used in the rough. However, when it comes to fairways, this is a grass type for the cool season areas. If you play links-style courses often, the chance of ending up in the tall fescue is relatively high. The great thing about Fescue is its ability to manage the heat.
The ball rolls well when Fescue grass is installed in fairways. For this reason you may hit some of your longer drives. However, when you get a shot into the fescue rough, good luck getting it out. You’ll need some extra swing speed (and maybe even an unplayable lie) for this one.
St.Augustine Grass
St.Augustine grass is actually the grass I have in my yard. It’s a really popular type throughout Florida and Georgia. St.Augustine does quite well in the shade, so you see it in the rough quite a bit. It’s a bit finicky when it comes to diseases, and you can’t get it short enough to be a golf course grass type to work on the greens.
The St. Augustine grass is thick; chances are, if your ball gets in it, you need some strength to get it out.
Bahia Grass
Bahia grass is a warm-season grass used in the rough areas of warmer climates. Bahia is low-maintenance and hardy, but there are better choices for putting greens.
The Bahia grass makes it tough to escape because the lies are very uneven.
TiffEagle
TiffEagle is a Bermuda variant that works well in areas with high temperatures. Perhaps the most well-known benefit of TiffEagle is the speed of the greens. TiffEagle, like Bermuda, can be grainy and will impact the direction and speed of putts. The main reason golf courses are switching to TiffEagle is for the impressive conditions it creates on the greens.
What About Poa Annua Grass?
Due to its invasive nature, Poa annua is considered a weed. Additionally, it has a tendency to disrupt the uniformity of turfgrass. It produces a large number of seeds, which contribute to its rapid spread and persistence, and it has a high tolerance to mowing. Despite its invasive characteristics, it can also be beneficial as a temporary cover in areas where other grasses are difficult to establish. When you watch some PGA Tournaments in the spring, you may see greens with different coloring, and chances are that’s the POA starting to come through.
How Do I Know What Type of Grass My Golf Course Has?
Talk to your golf course superintendent or golf professionals about the different types of golf grass. In addition, if you are a member of a private country club, someone on the greens committee likely knows the type of golf course grass your course has. The best golf course grass doesn’t exist. The list of the 10 most common types are all considered appropriate and useable and will work depending on the climate.
It can be interesting to learn about these different types of grasses and how they impact your golf game. I’ve definitely developed some favorites through the years. One thing for sure: when playing on Bermuda greens, it helps to know and look for the grain when you are putting.
Final Thoughts
Stop pretending to know the types of golf course grass that you have at your local course. Find out from an expert at the facility and then start to use that information to identify differences in conditions, the look of the course, and especially in the roll of your golf ball on the greens. Most importantly, learn how to spend the majority of your time in the short grass!
